Nut-lock.



LAWSON H. DOWELL, 0F ATHENS, TEXAS.

NUT-LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 3, 1911.

Application filed April 9, 1909, Serial No. 488,872. Renewed November22, 1910. Serial No. 593,722.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAWSON I-I. DownLL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Athens, in the county of Henderson and State of Texas, haveinvented a new and useful Nut-Lock, of which the following is aspecification.

The objects of the invent-ion are, generally, the provision, in amerchantable form, of a device of the class above specified, which shallbe inexpensive to manufacture, facile in operation, and devoid ofcomplicated parts; specifically, the provision of a locking key adaptedto be assembled with the bolt and nut in a novel manner, and of a washerada ted to receive the terminal of the locking rey, to deflect the same.into locking relation with the washer; other and further objects being'made manifest hereinafter as the description of the inventionprogresses.

The invention consists in the novell construction and arrangement ofparts hereinafter described, delineated in the accompanying drawings andparticularly pointed out in that portion of this instrument whereinpatentable novelty is claimed for certain distinctive and peculiarfeatures of the device, .it being understood that within the scope ofwhat hereinafter is thus claimed, divers changes in the form,proportions, size and minor details of the structure may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of theinvention.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to denote corresponding partsthroughout the several figures of the drawings.

In the accompanying drawings Figures 1 and 2 are longitudinal sectionsof the device, the locking key in Fig. 1 being about to enter thechannel in the washer, and, in Fig. 2, being entered in said channel;Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the device; Fig. 4 is a detailperspective of the locking key; Fig. 5 is a detail perspective of thewasher.

In the accompanying drawings the numeral 1 denotes a bolt, threaded .inthe usual manner, and provided with a nut 2, adapted to engage thethread of said bolt.

The numeral 3 denotes a washer arranged to fit the bolt 1, and providedwith a shoulder 5, inwardly extending, to register slidably in alongitudinally disposed, superficial groove 4 in the bolt 1. The outerface of the shoulder 5 is beveled, as denoted by the numeral 6, and thisbeveled portion 6 is provided with a slot 7, which, at the point wherethe shoulder merges into the washer 3, is extended outwardly, to form aradial channel 8 in the face of the washer 3.

The locking key 11 is made to taper slightly at one end, as clearlyshown in Fig. 4, and is brought to a point, as denoted by the numeral10. In transverse section the locking key 11 may be made to ta :e avariety of forms, each of which is effective to the end sought. In thepresent instance, the said locking key, in transverse section, takes theform of a right triangle, whereby is formed, at the outer edge of thelocking key, a cutting element 9.

In practical operation, after the nut 2 has been rotated to the desiredposition upon the bolt 1, the locking key 11 is inserted into thelongitudinally dis osed groove 4 in the face of the bolt, the pointedterminal 10 of the locking key serving to facilitate such insertion. Thelocking key 11 is then driven inward, the edge 9 of the locking keycutting a seat for the key transversely, in the threads of the nut 2.Continued terminal malleation of the locking key will cause the pointedterminal 10 thereof to engage the beveled face 6 of the shoulder 5,traversing the slot 7 in such beveled portion. The extremity of thelocking key will eventually be deflected into the radial channel 8 .inthe washer 3, firmly wed ing the said pointed portion 10 of the loc ringkey between the washer and the nut.

It will be seen that in the application of the device no special form ofnut is called for, the locking key cutting its own seat in the threadsof the nut, when the key is inserted into the groove 4 of the bolt. Thenut and bolt will, by the above described operation, be securely coupledtogether, and this union between the bolt and nut 1s furtherstrengthened by the fact that the pointed end 10 of the locking key isdeflected radially into the channel 8 of the washer 3 and rigidlysecured between the washer an the nut. If, after continued usage, thekey 11 should work slightly loose in the nut 2, the said key will notdrop from the groove 4 or work out of the same, owing to the fact, that,as hereinbefore pointed out, the extrernty of the locking key isover-turned into the channel 8 of the washer. The key CIA will thereforebe retained in position, and a tap or t-wo with a hammer upon theterminal of the key will be suilicient again to lock the bol-t and thenut together. The bolt and nut are coupled not only by the en gagementbetween the edge of the locking key and the threaded portion of the nut,but as well by the wedging eifect of the pointed terminal 10 of the key,which is inserted into the radial channel 8 in the washer, between thesaid washer and the said nut.

In the application of my invention, it is unnecessary to rotate the nutto the slightest degree, in order that the locking key may be inserted.When the nut is in the desired position the key may be inserted, cuttingits own seat in the nut, and locking the nut l in the exact position towhich it previously has been rotated.

I-Iaving described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire4 toprotect, by Letters Patent, is

l. In a device of the class described, a bolt having a longitudinalgroove; a washer to t the bolt and having a shoulder beveledy upon itsupper face and arranged to register in the groove; a nut mounted on thebolt; a key arranged for insertion in the groove, and to cut,transversely, the threads of the nut, the terminal of the key beingarran ed to engage the beveled face of the shoul er, to deflect theterminal of the key into locking engagement with the nut.

2. In a tdevice of t-he class described, a bolt having a longitudinalgroove, a washer to tit the bolt and having a shoulder to engage thegroove, the shoulder on its outer face being beveled, and slotted; a nuton t-he bolt; a key arranged for insertion A into the groove to engagethe nut against rotation, the terminal of the key being arranged toengage the shoulder and to be deilected thereby into the channel in thewasher.

4. In a device of the class described, a i.

bolt having a longitudinal, superiicial groove; a washer having ashoulder to it the groove, the shoulder being beveled on its outer faceand slotted in its beveled portion, the 'washer being provided with aradial channel opposite the shoulder; a nut mounted upon the bolt; a keyarranged for insertion into the groove of the bolt, the

terminal of the key being arranged to travel the slot in the inclinedface of the shoulder, to deflect the terminal of the key into the radialchannel of the washer.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aliiXedmy sign nature in the presence of two witnesses.

LAWSON H. DOVELL.

Vitnesses:

I/V. R. BISHOP, EARL JONES.

